With a thunderous bang, John Chou and I crashed onto the barren plain, only to be swept up immediately by a violent explosion. The raging air currents tossed us into the air.
I squinted, seeing the Tabby Cat King locked in battle with the Bullhorn King. Six black tails whipped through the sky as the Tabby Cat King darted around with incredible speed, slashing past the Bullhorn King, who had assumed a defensive stance. His body looked like fractured stone, radiating green light and appearing almost impenetrable. The Tabby Cat King's claws scraped across with a piercing screech.
No matter how the Tabby Cat King attacked, he couldn't break through the Bullhorn King's defenses. The cracks on his skin reminded me of the technique John Chou used against Ghost Rakshasa before—skin like molten lava, with faint light seeping from the fissures, emitting streams of energy.
With another thunderous crash, the Tabby Cat King launched a direct assault. The Bullhorn King raised both arms to block, but the Tabby Cat King suddenly twisted and kicked, while the Bullhorn King lowered his head to meet the blow.
With a heavy thud, the Tabby Cat King was sent flying toward us. Landing, he immediately dashed forward, reappearing before the Bullhorn King and slashing with both claws. Black claw shadows flashed, tearing the ground apart like blades of wind.
"Why isn't that guy fighting back?"
I watched the Bullhorn King, who was steadily losing ground, puzzled. John Chou glanced at me with interest.
"Can't you feel anything, brother? Or haven't you thought of anything?"
I shook my head.
"Usually, in a fight between evenly matched opponents, attack and defense shift constantly. If you can't turn defense into offense, it means one thing: once you switch to attack, you'll lose quickly. Even if it only takes a moment, the gap between defense and offense is enough for the Tabby Cat King to break through the Bullhorn King's Ghost Soul. Haven't you noticed? His Specter Domain hasn't returned."
My eyes widened. After scanning the area for a while, I finally spotted a dark speck in the distance. Instantly, I realized it was Oscar Knox, rushing toward the center of the battle.
"But that guy is about to reach his limit. This technique compresses ghost aura through his Ghost Soul in an instant, producing high-density ghost energy. The ghost energy that forms his body interlocks with the compressed energy through the Specter Web. If you want a comparison, it's like a suspension bridge over a deep valley—shaky, but actually very strong and able to bear immense pressure."
I didn't understand what John Chou was saying, but I kept watching. Oscar Knox was about to join the fight. There was still a gash on his body, leaking ghost aura—the wound I had just inflicted.
I never expected the Specter Web-formed scattergun to actually work, and its power far exceeded my imagination. But it's still a long way from true manifestation—after each shot, it collapses quickly, and I've lost quite a few Specter Web threads. For now, my Ghost Soul can't produce any more.
"Remember this, brother: no matter how you fight, victory is always decided by the heart."
I stared wide-eyed, then nodded.
John Chou started running slowly.
"What are you doing?"
I hurried after him.
"If they keep fighting like this, it’ll never end. So I’m going to help that cat finish the battle early. That way, we can figure out how to get my Bloodbane Power back as soon as possible."